Fantastic fiction is big business and many authors are struggling to get in. The burning question on all her lips is, “How did JK Rowling do it?” And the answer is quite simple. It gave readers what they wanted.
1. Children like chaos … but only a little.
The Hogwarts school established in the Harry Potter books is perfect. Children love the idea of being away from the comforts of home, but they are also deeply drawn to a sense of stability and find too much chaos too terrifying to contemplate. Being in a school situation is something they can relate to, and adding the element – magic – adds the necessary shiver of excitement that it takes it far enough out of the ordinary. The fact that magic school is a long-used and abused cliché in fantasy fiction, and successfully satirized by Terry Pratchett, bypasses most HP readers, simply because the target audience is too young. to recognize the antecedents.
2. Children like adults to be larger than life … but not all the time
And there is no greater than Hagrid! Children like their adults in fiction to be larger than life and a little eccentric. By populating Hogwarts with exaggerated personalities with many childish characteristics, it allows children to live out their fantasies of relating to adults as equals without the stress of having to speak to real adults. And these child-like adults, and father figure Dumbledore in particular, have to act responsibly when it comes to all the big decisions, just like parents in real life.
3. Children like to be independent … but they have close friends
And where would Harry be without Ron and Hermione? Harry is independent enough to be cool and close enough to his friends to be reassuringly normal. Harry’s home life angst with the Beasleys is nicely countered by his friendships to allow the children to bond with both of them.
4. Children like to be afraid … but only a little.
And JK Rowling increases the scares to the right degree, putting friends in danger on a regular basis, only for Harry to save the day with his bravery. And children love the idea that they too would be like Harry in such a situation.
5. Children like new games … and old ones
And Quidditch is such a potent mix of hockey, soccer, and sprinting that, combined with flying brooms, it allows kids to play the game on their own heads, going far beyond the mere words of the page.
6. Children like new ideas … and old ones
The entire Harry Potter series is a mix of old and new ideas. JK Rowling has taken a lot of fantasy tropes and mixed them with original ideas. Children, although they may not even recognize it, are already immersed in the basics of storytelling through fairy tales and fables. JK Rowling has built on the basics and in doing so created the ultimate in childhood fantasy.
As writers, all we have to do to bond with her is understand children in the same way that she does.
Really simple.